How Keep it Simple Made Me $22,000 in a Year

PeerFinance101 is about helping each other out with personal finances. From peer lending to sharing stories about managing debt, investing and anything related to meeting your financial goals.

Our PeerStory this week is from Chris Cajoleas, a friend of mine here in the beautiful city of Medellin, Colombia. 

Here is his story about how keeping his personal finance goals simple helped him accomplish this dream.

My name is Chris Cajoleas. Like so many other people in the U.S., the mortgage crisis took everything I had. I was pretty much broke and I had no idea what to do. So, what do you do when you have no money? Move to Brazil.  

Long story, but lucky for me, my move to Brazil is what got me to Medellin, Colombia. When I arrived in Medellin, life became crystal clear to me. I needed to be where I was happy.

After a year and a half of flying back and forth from the U.S. to Medellin looking for business ideas, I set my goals: 1. Get a job that I can save a lot of money doing. 2. Teach myself the skills needed to open my business.

One Year and $22,000 Later

At the end of 51 weeks working, I had saved about $18,000 and I sold my car which got me a little past twenty grand. I borrowed and additional $20,000 from my mom, bought a one-way ticket to Medellin, and jumped in with both feet.

Within three months of my arrival, I opened my restaurant, The Flip Flop Sandwich Shop, and the rest is history. Within three months of opening, I had the number one restaurant on TripAdvisor for Medellin.

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